A Cottage by the Sea - On My Mind

Sunny day in Siena~

12/12/2018

     A crisp, cold day for yesterday’s trip to Siena. I chose a sunny day because I find the city a little dark and I wanted to experience her in the light. Yes, the buildings along the hilly streets block out the light, but her history is also dark.
     Siena was a city that fought against Florence and never came out on top. In the trecento, the active and vibrant Sienese School produced artistic works by Duccio, his pupil Simone Martini, the brothers Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti and Domenico and Taddeo di Bartolo, Sassetta, and Matteo di Giovanni; Giovanni Pisano was a prolific sculptor; the magnificent cathedral was built. In 1344 the Black Death halted this magnificent development of the city’s art. The Republic of Siena jogged along until the mid 1550s when was annexed to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
    Enjoy the light.

Locks of love

12/11/2018

On my early morning walk yesterday I witnessed the start of the demolition of the locks of love from the fence surrounding the bust of Cellini on the Ponte Vecchio. I wondered why they were bothering?

It took all day.

It’s beginning again. Early this morning I counted three new locks. I love the idea of new locks starting the cycle of love all over again.

Early morning observations

12/8/2018

A sunny day is my preference--for picture taking and lightness of mood.

The cost of a cappuccino is slowly rising. My favorite café still charges 1.20 euro, but 1.30 is becoming standard in the bars that attract the locals. Along the tourist route, expect to pay 1.40 or 1.50. The cafe I’m in now, charges 2.00 for its contemporary ambience.

Two years ago I noticed a decline in the number of Africans selling pictures, umbrellas and gadgets. The gypsies begging for money had disappeared. Now they are back in full view. I chose not to photograph.

This morning I passed two raised umbrellas in two different spots along the street. Later when I passed by again, an elderly man was arising after his night’s sleep. Still later someone else was all covered up, I assume sleeping. I chose not to photograph.

December lights in Florence~

12/7/2018

The middle of my journey. Not the journey of life (I’m way past the middle), nor a feeling of being lost, as Dante refers to in the opening words to The Divine Comedy. I’m referring to this December journey to Florence; I flew here a week ago and will fly home a week from today.
     There is a specialness to being in Florence in December--a hunkering-in winter time about it all: cold and early sunsets: coats, hats, and scarves.
      And then there are the lights that decorate every street and every building, both interior and exterior. The result is festive, usually aesthetically appealing, occasionally a tad tacky, but always heartwarming. Since I am being charged for utilities in my apartment, I can’t help but wonder who is paying for all of this wonder.
     The city isn’t over-crowded, but it is filled with all ages walking the streets and enjoying the museums, churches and restaurants. It is a happy time to be in Florence for groups and for solitary travelers like me. Tomorrow is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a major holiday in Roman Catholic Italy. To celebrate, the Christmas tree in front of the Duomo will be lit at 5 PM. More lights to fill my journey.

St. Croce Christmas Market in Florence~

12/5/2018

I arrived in Florence on Saturday, December 1st, the day before the beginning of Advent. Lights decorated every street. Christmas had begun.
The Santa Croce Christmas Market is in full swing, displaying gifts and food. Although advertised as coming from Heidelberg, Germany, I notice booths from all over Europe. The market remains open through December 20 (a week after I have returned home); I still have plenty of time to shop.
Yesterday, however, I made a start. I purchases little notebooks made by special need people affiliated with Il Girasole Cooperativa Sociale.

Florence sun~

12/4/2018

The sun is on its way, predicted for this afternoon and tomorrow. In fact, here’s the view from my apartment, where I’m eating lunch and posting this. I don’t mind the rain, but as far as taking pictures, sunlight is my preferred weather.
Speaking of taking pictures, I’m on a roll.* I have several themes in mind, and of course that keeps me attentive to the moment.
This morning I was the first visitor at the Convent of San Marco. For the first five minutes I was the lone tourist. It was breath taking. San Marco is an early must-visit when I am in Florence. Every time I photograph the frescoes that Fra Angelico painted in the monk’s cells. I can’t resist, even though I have sets from previous visits; each photo represents the current moment. It is not something to check off any kind of bucket list.

* Pun intended! In 1956, when in Florence with my parents, I took pictures with a roll of film. That was all that was available.

Alone but not lonely in Florence~

12/3/2018

It is misty and cloudy this morning so I ought to be a little down, for that is what ‘they’ say is supposed to be one’s mood on such a day. But here I am, wandering about alone, feeling peaceful and very grateful that I made the trip.
     My usual café is packed with American students; not a seat in the place; so different from when I was here in 1959. I was one of the first of the junior year abroad students to walk the untried territory. How do I know this? Because I had no American friends the entire year I was here. My college and I were making it up as we went along.
    As a result, I learned to be on my own, to be independent, to not be lonely. Solitude became my preferred way of being, which may surprise those of you who know me because I can be extremely social and gregarious. Meyers-Briggs tells me I am right in the middle on the introvert-extrovert continuum.
     From time to time, especially when I come back to Florence, I ponder what effect that year so long ago had on me. Maybe that’s why I keep returning. I want the answer incised in my mind/body/spirit just as dates are chiseled into the stones of Florence.
    My answer on this misty, cloudy morning is the gift of being at peace with myself and very grateful for my life.

First 24 hours in Florence~

12/2/2018

First cappuccino!

I am very grateful that I am here for the third time in 2018. When I returned home after my September trip I considered seriously if my Florence days were over. But since I already had an inexpensive airline reservation, I inched forward and reserved the apartment with a view of the Duomo where I am now settle.
As the time to fly drew near, I established a few goals for this December trip—be in the moment and delve into fourteen and fifteen century art that is Florence and that is omnipresent in Florence, in the churches and museums and on the streets. So far, I’m on schedule with both.
Here’s a slide show of my first 24 hours.

Follow your bliss~

11/28/2018

“If you follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living.” This wisdom of Joseph Campbell’s rests deep within me. Preparations for my trip to Florence on Friday are in good order as I get ready to follow my bliss and live the life I want to live once again.
     Packing is completed. Library books returned. My Kindle is ready. Visits to church friends are scheduled or completed. Fourteen meals for my husband sit in the freezer. Friends and family are doing well.
     When I first read these words of Campbell, I embraced the idea of following one’s bliss as something everyone ‘should’ do. But times have changed, and so have I; his words feel more nuanced and complex. What about the families tracking across Mexico to enter our country? Perhaps they are following their bliss, but it surely isn’t the same bliss as the border crossing I will experience upon entering Italy.
     I could go on and on, except I think these few words are enough to continue my thinking, and to get you pondering your bliss as well.

Positive gratitudes

11/23/2018

On this day after Thanksgiving I could be talking in my usual way about gratitude--what we’re grateful for, what we ‘should’ be grateful for, personal graitudes, and gratitudes for the world. I’m all in for these kinds of expressions, but today I’m thinking of the power of stating gratitude in positive terms. For example, “How wonderful we can get out for a walk,” instead of, “Well at least it is not raining.”
Speaking positively keeps me away from making judgments. I more apt to see people for who they are, rather than who they are not.
So, on this day after Thanksgiving, I am grateful for friends and family just as they are, and for the food just as it was prepared and served.